The Stories That Changed My Life (Writers Reveal)

Time for July’s round of Writer’s Reveal! Once again, it was my turn to suggest the topic of the month, so the prompt I chose this time was: “the story that changed my life”. Hope you enjoy the topic, and be sure to check out everyone else’s take on this subject. Enjoy!

Five Stories That Changed My Life

I chose this topic because I thought it would be interesting to see how everyone would interpret it. What exactly constitutes a life-changing story? Is it one that took your life in a different direction than it would otherwise have gone? Is it one that motivated you to pursue your dreams? Is it one that made you look at the world differently? There are many ways to define life-changing stories, and I consider mine to be the ones that inspired me to become the writer I am today.

Now I know the prompt I sent refers to a single story, but when I thought about it, I realized how difficult it would be to choose just one. There are many stories that have played a role in helping me grow as a writer, and I can honestly say that my life would likely have gone a different way were it not for every one of them. So to summarize my journey as a writer and as a person, here are five of the stories that changed my life:

1) The Cat in the Hat – Maybe two years old is too young for anything to be life-changing yet, but reading The Cat in the Hat with my mom is one of the first memories I have of enjoying a good book. Dr. Seuss’s stories sparked my love of reading at an early age, and that was the all-important first step into my passion for creative writing.

2) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – I’ve loved reading since I was little, but Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was the story that first motivated me to become a writer. Roald Dahl’s colorful worlds and fantastic adventures inspired my imagination, and thanks to his books, I’ve known since I was nine years old that creating stories of my own is what I want to do for the rest of my life.

3) Harry Potter – Wanting to write stories wasn’t enough to make me a writer yet; I had to know how to do it well. J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series taught me dozens of excellent storytelling techniques such as character development, plot construction and conservation of detail. These novels are also the reason I decided at age 11 to focus on writing in the fantasy genre.

4) The Mists of Avalon – I first read Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Arthurian fantasy saga at the age of 14, which was a critical point in my personal development. The Mists of Avalon was the series that introduced me to adult themes such as religious fanaticism, political radicalism and feminism, and it did so in a way that made me feel empowered as a woman. These books are what inspired me to create strong female characters, a practice I still keep to today.

5) My parents’ story – This last one isn’t a novel, though I strongly believe it should be. The most inspiring story I’ve ever heard didn’t come from a book, but from my own parents. The story of their relationship is one that has inspired me my whole life, and the best part is that it’s still being written! My parents are the reason I believe in true love, and why I’ve always enjoyed reading and writing romance. It’s not a novel, but it’s still my all-time favorite story!

These are the stories that I believe have changed my life. They may seem simple or insignificant to most, but if they played even the tiniest part in my growth as a writer and a person, then they definitely changed me for the better.

What about you? What are the stories that changed your life?

This has been a special topic post for Writers Reveal, a monthly blog swap among several talented writers. Be sure to check out the other blogs participating in the event. Thanks for reading!

About J.C. Wolfe

J.C. Wolfe is a fiction writer, biologist, and aspiring novelist of science fantasy and romance. A natural-born American and graduate in Marine Ecology from a university in Brazil, J.C. now writes for a living in California while spending free time blogging and penning stories and poetry.

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